We hope all our pre-school and toddler group families had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

At the end of last term toddler group and pre-school enjoyed our Christmas parties. We even had a visit from Father Christmas who brought along one of his reindeer’s antlers which he explained grow again every year.

Pre-school also enjoyed a brilliant trip to Stockley Farm Park. We had a ride in a trailer pulled by a big tractor, saw cows with calves in their tummies, stroked some rabbits and fed baby goats! It was very exciting.

The new term has restarted and we have lots of fun things planned this term. This week we have had great fun breaking the ice we found in the play area!

Our Wreath-making workshop run by the wonderful Delamere Flower Farmwas a lovely evening supported by lots of pre-school families and friends. We raised £136 for pre-school and toddler group funds and had a great time in the process. And just look at the beautiful results!

Our latest fundraiser was our third annual Halloween Spooktacular during which families came to enjoy crafts, face painting, games, disco, spooky spider hunt and just one or two sweet treats! We raised a cool £500 to kick start our campaign to raise funds for a new outdoor play area. Added to the £2000 generously donated by the Brian Wilson Charitable Trust last year, and £2500 raised though a recent sponsored event, the children are a third of the way to their new £15,000 play area.

Thanks you to all who helped out or attended our scarecrow trail and summer party with prize draw, and all the excellent scarecrow entries. Congratulations to the Harris family who won the coveted best scarecrow trophy with their ‘bike crash’ display. We raised over £450 for pre-school and toddler group funds!

Just look at all the great fun we had last week at Stockley Farm Park. Our pre-schoolers learnt lots about the animals they met and helped with some of the jobs around the farm. There was lots to do… bottle feeding the lambs and kids, watering the vegetable plants, and feeding the cows and goats. We also squeezed in a little time for some playing on the bouncy castle, soft play and sand pit.

Dear Parents,
You are now able to go online to check your eligibility for 30 hours free childcare and to open your tax-free childcare account. You can do this by following the link below:www.childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk/par/app/applynow
You can open a tax-free childcare account for children between the ages of 0 to 11, or if your child has a disability, up to 18. We advise that you make your application for 30 hours childcare the term before your child is 3 to ensure that you have enough time to secure a place if you are eligible. Your child must be at least 2 years and 39 weeks old to use the eligibility checker however.
Please note that due to the announcement that there will be a general election in June the application process for both the 30 hours and the tax-free childcare account has been amended slightly. All parents will need to click on ‘No’ when asked, ‘Were you invited to use this service?’
You can use the above link to make your application for both 30 hours free childcare and to open your tax-free childcare account. Please be aware that by opening a tax-free childcare account your child tax credits may be affected and you may stop receiving them. As you proceed through your application you will be able to choose which elements you would like to apply for and can opt out of the tax-free childcare account if you do not wish to open one.
If you have any queries about the application process please contact Nicola White, 30 Hour Project Officer, Cheshire West and Chester on 01244 977746.
At Acton Bridge Pre-school we are currently planning to accept the extended entitlement to 30 hour funding for eligible families but will not be able to provide the full 30 hours. We currently plan to continue with the status quo – 6 sessions running on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursday 9am-12pm and 12pm-3pm – amounting to 18 hours. Families wishing to take up the full 30 hours will be able to share the entitlement between Acton Bridge and other providers.

We are very lucky to have some extremely dedicated trustees and parents here at Acton Bridge Pre-school Association and have 2 sponsored events coming up that will be raising money for the pre-school and toddler group. Follow the link to find out more and donate as little or as much as you wish.

We are currently recruiting for relief pre-school assistants. The successful candidate will be called upon to cover regular staff absence or satisfy quotas when registration numbers increase. Sessions run 9am -12pm and 12pm – 3pm Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Please email contactus@actonbridgepreschool.co.uk if you would like further information or wish to apply.

We are also seeking a volunteer or volunteers to help run our toddler group. Again, please email if you are interested. Please note this is a voluntary post and therefore unpaid.